by Oh Seok
9h ago
Synopsis
South Korea has secured a $225 million deal to construct a tritium removal facility at a nuclear power plant in Romania. The facility, to be built by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), will extract tritium from heavy water and store it safely. The project aims to ensure safe operation of the plant, reduce radioactive waste, and minimize environmental risks. Completion is expected by August 2026, with commercial operation starting the following year. This contract marks South Korea's second nuclear power export, supporting the government's goal to boost the nuclear power industry and reverse the phase-out policy.
SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea won a 260 billion-won (US$225 million) deal Tuesday to build a tritium removal facility at a Romanian nuclear power plant that will help ensure its safe operation and boost South Korea's nuclear power industry, the industry ministry said.
Under the deal with Romania's nuclear energy company SNN, or Nuclearelectrica, South Korea's Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) will build the facility at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant meant to extract tritium from heavy water and store it in a safe form, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The construction is set to be completed around August 2026, and the facility is expected to be put into commercial operation the following year.
KHNP CEO Whang Joo-ho and SNN chief Cosmin Ghita signed the deal in Seoul earlier in the day, and the signing ceremony was attended by Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang and Romania's ambassador in Seoul, Cezar Armeanu.
The elimination of heavy tritiated water will significantly reduce the quantity of radioactive waste left to be managed for the decommissioning of its reactors and accordingly minimize radiological risks to people and the environment, as well as save energy needed to produce new heavy water, the ministry said.
It is the second export of nuclear power facilities for the Yoon Suk Yeol government after South Korea won a 3 trillion-won deal in August 2022 to build Egypt's first nuclear power plant project in El Dabaa, which is expected to give a boost to the languished nuclear power industry at home, according to the ministry.
The value of the latest contract comes to around 38 percent of South Korea's total exports to Romania last year, which stood at US$530 million.
"South Korea has world-class competitiveness in the nuclear power industry, and the winning of the deal is expected to give our companies greater business opportunities," the ministry said in a release.
Yoon vowed to reverse the nuclear phase-out policy of the preceding administration and set a target of exporting 10 nuclear power reactors by 2030.
graceoh@yna.co.kr
Source: https://en.yna.co.kr/
energygasoil@gmail.com
Comments
Post a Comment